By Daniel Tyokua
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Wednesday, inspected an abandoned building in the Central Business District for the take off of the newly established Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
Addressing journalists after inspecting the proposed site, Wike said President Bola Tinubu had directed FCT Administration under his watch to refurbish the building, formerly Federal Ministry of Agriculture that will house the ministry.
He said, “President has asked us to go and immediately refurbish the place for the new Ministry of Livestock, that is why we went there to see things for ourselves.
“We are going to get some companies to come and look at it and quote for it, as it is an emergency work because creation of the Ministry of Livestock is a welcomed development that you can see people are happy, waiting for it to start, the President has ordered the FCT administration, through the FCDA to look at it and we have seen the integrity test, which is okay, and we will also rehabilitate and furnish it and then you would see the Ministry of Livestock take off.
“We will take the best and most responsive bidder that we know that government will afford to handle”
Wike also visited Kugbo International Market which is a PPP arrangement between Abuja Investment company, an agency of Federal Capital Territory Administration, and a private individual under construction.
He said the sharing formula agreed between the duo was unacceptable to him considering the role of the administration.
According to him, the FCT Administration has a stake because the land belongs to the Federal Capital Territory.
Wike said,”We have a stake, the land belongs to the FCT, and I hear there is a sharing formula, which is not acceptable to me from the first instance. I have directed the managing director to see that they meet with the investor, to see how we can have an amendment that would be suitable to all of us because for now the way it is, it is not favorable. It is only favorable to the investor.
“Secondly, this is an investment that should be encouraged, and there are a lot of problems. There is a lot of encroachment and I have directed the development control to immediately demolish anything that is going to cause an impediment.
“The is a road corridor, and we would not allow that, and development control director is here. He has been ordered to move in with his men to demolish whatever is enough to go.
“Again, the investor should as a matter of fact, see that he puts in more funds to see the realization of the entire market. I have asked him when he thinks that the whole thing will be ready and he said we should give him till January.
“The first phase has being completed, we would therefore see what we can do, to see that we open the first phase and some of the traders on the road have to come in here, and give the the free traffic that we desire”.
